Shams DaBaron, widely known as "Da Homeless Hero" and "Da Housing Hero," is a real estate developer, entrepreneur, author, and former NYC Charter Revision Commissioner who has become one of New York's most influential voices on housing and homelessness. Founder and CEO of LionFox Development, Shams is co-developer of Harlem's $600 million-plus One45 project, across from a park bench where he slept as a teenager. He rose to prominence leading the Lucerne Hotel fight and has since shaped housing policy including City of Yes. He has written for the New York Daily News, New York Post, The Nation, and Vital City, and has been featured by MSNBC, PBS, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and more than 200 media outlets. Shams serves on the boards of Project Renewal and Housing Solutions of New York, and received the New York Housing Conference's Advocate of the Year Award. Most recently, he was named to City & State's 2026 Black Trailblazers list.